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Following the 430 Scuderia, 458 Speciale and 488 Challenge comes Ferrari’s latest racing-inspired V8-powered beast, the 488 Pista, which will be on Ferrari’s Geneva motor show stand Tuesday, March 6. The show opens to the public March 8 through 18 if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Ferrari touts its racing chops for the Pista’s performance boost, specifically its five FIA World Endurance Championship’s GTE class manufacturers’ titles. The car’s development evolved directly from GTE, Ferrari said. “Pista” means racetrack in Italian, by the way.

The Pista is more powerful and lighter than the 488 GTB and has better aerodynamics, according to Ferrari. Did we say more powerful? Indeed, the turbo V8 cranks out 50 more horsepower, for a maximum of 710, while torque stays about the same at 568 lb-ft. The Pista weighs a mere 2,822 pounds, 200 pounds lighter than the GTB, thanks to carbon-fiber intake plenums, a lighter crankshaft and flywheel and titanium connecting rods. The car can hit 62 mph in 2.85 seconds and has a top speed of 211 mph. That should suffice.

The gorgeous exterior is all about aerodynamics and downforce. The new front and rear diffusers are “inspired by” (Ferrari’s words) the 488 race car. The vortex generators are new and the rear spoiler is higher and longer than the GTB. Ferrari says it all adds up to 20 percent more downforce than your garden-variety 488.

Ferrari says it wants the Pista’s “full potential” available to “all drivers, professional or otherwise.” To that end, the company is introducing what it calls Dynamic Enhancer. It uses Ferrari-developed software to adjust brake applications, making the car more forgiving and predictable in on-the-limit corners. The Side-Slip Angle Control is also new (this is version 6.0), working with the E-Diff 3 and the magnetic shocks, allowing some power-on oversteer.

We’ll get a better look next month in Geneva, and get behind the wheel shortly thereafter.

Ferrari 488 Spider review and photo gallery

Wes Raynal

Wes Raynal – Wes Raynal joined Crain Communications’ circulation department while still in college. When he graduated in 1986, he became a reporter for Autoweek sister publication Automotive News. He has worked as Autoweek’s associate editor, news editor, motorsports editor and executive editor before being named editor in 2009.
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